Vox AC30/6TBX

3 channels with hi/low voicings, vibrato, tremolo, standby switch (the oldies don't have these), 8 knobs, alnico speakers. No LCDs, no huge amounts of switches and knobs, the basics and that's enough.

Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, whatever you want. I favour LPs and SGs myself, and each guitar sounds radically different, each pickup combination does too. One great unparalleled clean sound, you add the pedals to taste.

Not the most robust amps, aesthetically or otherwise. These new ones are pretty good but there are always going to be niggles with a tube amp. The good news is the amp is quite simple so most things can easily be remedied.

No complaints here. All dealings with the company have been more than satifactory.

It's amazing that an amp based on a 40 year old design can sit alongside Rectifiers, Marshalls, boutique amps and still be worthy of attention. This suggests here is an amp with a great legacy - well deserved I might add - which proves the old cliche, if it ain't broke don't fix it. And there's certainly no need to with this one.

A real classic. One of the few pieces of gear I've bought and not been disappointed with.

I thought i should post a some information for anyone experiencing low level hum coming out of their Vox Ac30 reissue's. There is a fix for this at the excellent webpage link below. This fixed the hum in my ac30. As the site say's, do be careful as you are working around high voltages.

http://www.voxshowroom.com/northcoast/vox/new_amps/30service.html

All valve reissue of the classic AC30. A little different internally (they're using some PCB in this the JMI originals were all PTP wired) but very similar tonally.

FRONT PANEL
===========
2 x Vib-Trem Inputs
2 x Normal Inputs
2 x Brilliant Inputs
--
3-way Vibrato Speed selecter
2-way Vibrato/Trem selecter
--
Vib-Trem Channel Volume
Normal Channel Volume
Brilliant Channel Volume
--
Treble
Bass
Cut
--
Standby Switch
ON/OFF


PREAMP VALVES
=============
5 x 12AX7
1 x 12AU7


POWER AMP VALVES
================
4 x EL84


RECTIFIER
=========
1 x GZ34


SPEAKERS
========
2 x 12" Celestion Blue Alnico

In order to get this catagory to 10 several mods need to be performed - Vib Trem channel: changing the rotary 3way Speed switch for a proper sweep pot, modifying the Vib/Trem switch to be able to control the depth of the effect via another sweep and push/pull pot to select modes. Also I dislike the voicing of the channel - I'd rather have the effect on the Normal channel like the AC30HW.

Great tone. Awesome cleans, this amp seems to simply sing even at low volume, and at gig levels it's a thing of beauty. The vibrato and tremolo are also first rate with a valve-driven warmth no trasistor stompbox can possibly rival.

Using this with a Gibson SG Standard made in 2001. Any pickup combination yields great tone. The beauty is the simplicity - infinite variations can be found and the way this reacts to changes in guitars and pickups still surprises. Plenty of variety here, incremental adjustments in tone can make all the difference.


I play any style that is required when it comes to the business side of guitar playing. My own choice is pop-rock with nods to AC/DC, Catherine Wheel and the Smashing Pumpkins.


Gibson SG Standard -> Boss TU-2 -> Danelectro Daddy-O -> MXR Distortion+ -> MXR Distortion+ -> Danelectro 7-Band EQ -> Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi -> A/B Splitter = A-> Normal channel B-> Vib Trem channel


With this combination of equipment I can get all the drive sounds I need and more besides. The key features of this classic British Class A amp are the Bluebacks and the valve rectifier.

To further improve on this the amp will be retubed with JJ Electronics valves (www.eurotubes.com) - the best on the market IMO, not rebranded either.

Noisy? No more than your average amp and certainly quieter than some others. Even with the Normal Channel cranked to 2 o'clock there's very little hiss and hum, less than I imagined. All in all, this amp is fantastic.

Hmmm... well actually reliability is a problem. They don't seem to have great QC in Middlesex where these are made. My one broke the day I got it - one of the valves was microphonic and there was a bad cap in the tone circuit. It was brand new and under warranty so I sent it back.

So it was fine for a few weeks. I took care of it and didn't push it too hard. But it happened again, but by chance only on the Brilliant channel which I never use. I swear one or two other valves have gone microphonic and there's problems with the Volume pot on the Brilliant channel.

I was even less pleased when my guitar shop told me I should send it back with a list of whats wrong with it! I'm no tube amp expert, this being my first so anything I say is guesswork and besides, this should have stayed in tiptop shape until it's twice yearly service which is still 5 months away!

Fortunatly the people at Vox should do a decent job this time, if it does the same thing again then I want a whole new amp. I've heard stories of people buying a new amp/car etc and it breaking down several times until they demand a new one and I only hope this won't happen to me. Better play it safe and get them to revalve the whole amp.

Don't let this put you off though. AFAIK this sort of thing rarely ever happens.

I have to be fair - the support I recieved was first rate all the way. Took it back to place of purchase and they contacted the company directly - picked the amp up the next day. Within a fortnight it was returned to me, carefully packed and in full working order sounding better than before, until it started playing up again.

Considering I moved from Portsmouth to London (nearly 100 miles) and they sent it back to my place of residence and did it quickly too, I was impressed. I'll be more impressed if when I send it back again they pay for postage and make a decent job of the repairs.

I sold quite a few other things and made some sacrifices to get this amp and I don't regret it one bit. I get lots of hours of use and it's put some spark back in my playing.

It's one of the few amps that's aesthetically pleasing to the eye too. I'm also pleased because I knocked #300 off the price because it had been sitting untouched in a corner while several Marshall stacks had flown out of the shop. These included a JCM900, a JCM2000 DSL and some others that can't do half the things this does, nor do them as well.

Despite the flaws I mentioned concerning the shortcomings of the Vib/Trem and the reliability issue of this particular unit I still think these are unlikely to affect/happen to most people.

Absolutely superb amplifier. If you want something with killer tone that is versatile as heck here it is. This isn't a one-trick pony, this is a classic. You know you want one.

My amp is probably a 1999 model . . . black tolex, alnico blues (gotta have them!), one usable channel (the brilliant channel) that makes the other 2 sound dull & boring . . . and it's full of super-hot tubes.

I use either a Tele, a Strat, a 335 or a Les Paul. The AC-30 really brings out some astounding tone on each, but you gotta be careful with the bridge pickup on a Tele. The treble response can be punishing. This is without a doubt the LOUDEST (and heaviest) 33-watt amp ever made---don't let the power rating fool you. It has that classic "boxy" British amp tone, and LOTS of it.

Reliability is problematic. These amps are delicate and tempermental, sort of the opposite of a Fender. Mine was shipped with a defective transformer (fixed for free) and last week, one of the vaunted Vox Alnico Bulldog speakers cooked. The speaker alone is $280, and it took the power tubes with it. Ouch! Oh yeah, and the tolex is peeling off.

Why bother? It's always more trouble than it's worth. Get a good amp tech instead.

I've been hacking away on the guitar for 37 years. I've always liked the VOX tone, but I've been leery because of reliability concerns. They have a truly unique tone, however, and nothing else really comes close. They are grossly overpriced, but whattaya gonna do? I use either the VOX or a Fender Tweed Bassman, so I got the Liverpool and the Fullerton thing when I need them. The best of both worlds!

This AC30 was made in 1995.it is the fawn coloured one and it has the blue speakers.Obviously if your reading this you know all the features by now.Although its not packed with features,the ones it has are excellent.I use the normal channel usually but i like all of them.its Class "A". i use this at home and at gigs although at home i often cant hear myself or anyone else afterwards!

I am using a Brian May Red special with this amp with the burns trisonics and i can say without a doubt that the pair go together like a newly married couple."match made in heaven"
i also use a dallas rangmaster with this and it sounds lovely.Just one small alteration to the guitars volume control and you can get a whole different sound.From a rather "bell" like sound to a really rich and creamy distortion.If you want to sound like brian may then this is a must have for you! it can do any style you want it to though, hooked up with my zoom gfx pedal the sounds are good aswel but im not really into all this digital stuff.

Being a valve amp you can never totally rely on it because valves are like strings- they need replacing often and can also break without any notice,but having said that it hasnt failed on me yet.I find that if you turn it onto standby about 40 mins before you use it the valves give a much better tone and it also reduces noises.I have noticed several weird noises that have occured because of using it as soon as its turned on- Buzzing,humming,whistling and also a noise which resembles an aeroplane doing some sort of high speed dive into the ground! just let it warm up and it will get rid of any of these.

I got this second hand,but it hadnt been used hardly and it had just had a re-valve.I have no warranty but if i did need to get parts vox have said they will be hapy to order them for me(at a cost obviously)the guy i spoke to was very polite and was always prompt on returning my emails and calls.

owned a guitar for seven years but i have only started playing seriously in the past 4 years.I only own Vox ac30's but i did have a marshall master lead combo and all i can say is that it was crap.None of my mates amps sound anything like it and neither do any of the clone amps.Althought the laney Vc30 sounds ok, if you want vox you have to have a vox.You think this amps BULLSHIT????? Its a VOX mate!!!!! no way

This amp can cater for many styles. I've used it playing with a big-band (ideal tone), more modern stuff (radiohead, chili peppers etc) for which it does the job, and i even stood in for another guitarist in a nu-metal band (a grim job but the amp even pulled this off - though i suppose the pedals used contribute a lot). NOt lots of "features" but that's what I wanted, easy to use so it gets a 10.

The reasons it didn't get a 10:

1. When using the 'brilliant' channel the hi-end was just too much even with the tone control. You know when u kinda wince everytime you strike a chord etc.

2. After getting good valves put in, this mutha gets a 10! (thats when i use the 'normal' channel with the 'cut' on zero).

I can't really understand why people dislike the vox-tone. hmmm weird. the best example of warmth i can think of at the moment is in radiohead's "you and whose army". lush.

well.. again, a 9. a valve went after a couple of months. but that's the bad valves, not the actual amp. i would consider getting a hard travel case for the amp. i have a little fan as well which i place behind the amp to help air-flow - those tubes get damn hot. mmmmm :)

Despite the valves that come with it, this amp deserves an overall 10. i would definitely get another if this was stolen/lost (if i had the cash). i read that brian may only uses the normal channel (best option too in my opinion), but he removes the valves that the "brilliant" and "vib-trem" channels use, as it keeps the heating down to a minimum. good idea methinks. take care of these babies if you get one - you will want it to last forever.

it is verry versatile for me I love it

teles and epi casineo I love it. it oh so much ass Iam 16 years old and Iam in a band that plays 60s and 70s rock and roll but I play 50s rockabilly and chuck berry style music I love the tone of this thing. as far as clean sounds it is verry smooth and compresed but when I turn it all the way up color me happy it is the most holly sound ever I got a hell of a deal on it it was damiged in shiping so it got a little cut on the side but nothing to cry about. the only problm is that I can never turn it all the way up. Ive have bought more over drive pedals than I wish to say. the sound Iam going for is mike kambles tone I have seen him on meny tv shows whith a danelectro daddyO overdrive so that is next on my list

i have taken it to hell in back(angolaI.N.)and menny other good venus for the past year and it can still ROCK.

it is hever on earth

My AC30 was made in "93. The features havae been well covered by others here so I won't repreat that. An excellent amp wtihout a lot of bells and whistles so becuase of that I'll give it an 8.

I use this AC30 with a variety of guitars, strats, teles, LP with P90's, ES335,hamer artist w/P90's. and I'm using it to plays blues and new country.

I bought it used and it sounded pretty good but I ended up replacing the Sovtek tubes in it with JJTesla EL84's and the tone was gretly improved. If I hadn't heard it for myself I wouldn't have believed it! The classic Vox chime is stunning and it allows the tone of every guitar plugged into it to come through. When it is cranked the overdrive is smooth, creammy and still has the ghime. Now i know why these amps are loved by Brian May, Tom Petty, Brad Paisley etc. (Paisley may use Dr. Z amps now but his tone was honed on Vox AC30's)

I use this amp with a THD Hotplate when I playing blues. These amps can be quite loud and the Hotplate allows me to get the tone I want at lower sound levels.


I love the tone of this amp!! It may be the best sounding amp I've ever ownie and I been through a lot of amps (Fender, Peavey, Marshall, Boogie, DR. Z, Budda, Traynor, Valvetech, Gibson....)

These amps are known for running hot and eating tubes. They also have a reputation for not being too reliable. I have not had any trouble with the amp and have gigged every weekend with it for almost a year. I allow the tubes to warm up with the amp on standby for a while before I play through it; and I also let it idle on stadby when I'm done for a bit before shutting it down. I always bring a backup and have been doing that just out of habit. Besides its cheap insurance tht the show will go on if something does happen. For backup I'll bring either my deluxe reverb or my Line 6 POD depending on the venue.

Never had to deal with them

I've been playing guitar professinally for 30 years and in tht time have gone through a bunch of amps. this one, along with my '66 Fender Pro Reverb is a keeper. I love the tone of this amp. If were stolen I'd get another ASAP.

IM A VOX AC30/6TBX RE-ISSUE OWNER,THIS ONE WAS MADE IN 2002.
THIS AMP DOES CUT THRU MY STYLE OF MUSIC. ROCK ALTERNATIVE,POP,BLUES AND JAZZ. BUT MOSTLY I USE THIS FOR ALTERNATIVE AND POP MUZIK.FROM BEATLES TO U2,CRANBERRIES TO REM,AND FROM SODA STEREO TO CERATI.
MY VOX HAS 6 CHANNELS, 2 FOR VIB/TREM,2 FOR NORM,AND 2 FOR BRIGHT.
THATS ALL I NEED EVENTHOUGHT I WICH IT HAD REVERB FOR A DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVE FEEL.I USE EVERY FEATURE AND MIX THEM AND ALL IS FANTASTIC.I USE THIS MONSTER FOR GIGS,RECORDING,AND PRACTICE.IT HAS ENOUGHT POWER BUT IF YOU NEED MORE PUT A MIC IN FRONT OF THE SPEAKERS.

IM USING AN EPIPHONE CASINO RE-ISSUE WITH P90,LES PAUL STANDARD,TELE.
THEY ALL SUIT TO MY STYLE WHICH IS THE MODERN ALTERNATIVE AND SLOW SONGS.THE AMP IS ABIT NOISY WHEN HIGHER VOL.BUT IT PASS THE TEST.WHEN CRANCKING THE VOL.IT GIVES YOU A CLEAN POWERFULL OVERDRIVE BOOST.

I BOUGHT THIS DOG ON 4-02 AND HAVE NOT A PROBLEM YET,WILL SEE LATER.

NOT YET DEALTH

ITS GOT A SOUND OF ITS OWN AND I HAVE A FEELING IT WILL LAST A LONG TIME IF I TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY BABY. AND THIS IS IT THE REAL THING...
SOUNDS BEATLEISH AND U2ICH,.///0-0\\\

New 2001 Model AC30/6TBX. The amp has 3 channels- Top Boost, Normal and Vib/Trem- each differently voiced. All three channels share a common Cut control which reduces high end in the power section of the amp as opposed to the preamp. The Vib/Trem channel also has a pair of knobs- one to select either Vibrato or Tremelo, and another to select between three preset speeds. A variable speed knob would have been a nice improvement but no biggie.. The Top Boost Channel also has Treble and Bass controls. T

I use a Gibson ES295 w/ P-90 pickups, through a Boss Noise Gate(P90's are very noisy), Ibanez Turbo Tube Screamer, Boss RV3 and a EH Memory Man reissue. Not terribly noisy by itself. As other have posted, increasing the channel you not using volume control helps a bit due to phase cancellation. The Top Boost Channel is stunning, great clarity and bite, with loads of bass and treble to spare. The tone controls are highly interactive, moreso than any other amp. Maximum midrange scoop is acheived w/ the Bass control maxed. Easing back on both Bass and Treble to about 1:00 gives the classis VOX mids and highs. The amp can also be made to sound very fat indeed- so don't think it's just treble jangle. The amp is absurdly loud, especially w/ the VOX/Celestion Blue speakers. You'll impair your hearing by trying to get the amp to give up the overdrive. Once there however, it really sings. Think U2, REM and your there. The amp has a British voice, so it really excels at alternative power pop etc....

Ummmm... Here's where it gets tricky. This is my second AC30 in a month's time. The first, although I asked for a factory sealed unit was just merely reboxed and came from another of the chain's locations. The standby switch made a loud pop each time it was used. The Vib/Trem switch also suffered this affliction. The amp would distort or block up on certain notes. I returned it, they sent it out to be repaired. It returned w/ many of the same problems, except this time the Tolex was ripped in about 6 different places. I made a big stink, and am currently enjoying a true factory sealed unit which has no problems thus far. I actually build tube amps for a hobby, so I'm a little concerned w/ the PC board. Not that there's something inherently wrong w/them, it's just that repairs or replacement of components can sometimes turn into a nightmare. The preamp tubes are mounted direcly to the board (bad), but at least the power tubes and retifier are all chassis mounted. Overall however the amp has quality contruction.

They are quite freindly and at ease- mainly because once you buy it, you're on your own.

Incredible sounds, great looks, quality constuction.